Category Technology/Electronics

Plagues of locusts, containing millions of insects, fly across the sky to attack crops, but the individual insects do not collide with each other within these massive swarms. Now a team of engineers is creating a low-power collision detector that mimics the locust avoidance response and could help robots, drones and even self-driving cars avoid collisions.

“We are always looking for animals with unusual abilities, ones that do something better than humans,” said Saptarshi Das, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics...

Scientists from NUST MISIS have presented an innovative autonomous power source: a compact atomic battery that can last up to 20 years. Due to the original 3D structure of the beta-voltaic element, its dimensions have decreased by 3x.

The original device uses the microchannel 3D structure of a nickel beta-voltaic element. Its peculiarity is that the radioactive element is applied on both sides of the planar p-n junction, which simplifies the cell manufacturing technology, as well as the control of the reverse current that steals the battery power. The special microchannel structure provides an increase in the effective conversion area of the beta radiation by 14 times, which results in an overall increase of current.

“The output electr...

Three teams of researchers at Clemson University have joined forces to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding perovskite nanocrystals, which are semiconductors with numerous applications, including LEDs, lasers, solar cells and photodetectors.

A research article titled “The correlation between phase transition and photoluminescence properties of CsPbX3 (X=Cl, Br, I) perovskite nanocrystals” recently appeared in Nanoscale Advances, an open-access journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry...

The discovery of an unprecedented physical effect in a new artificial material marks a significant milestone in the lengthy process of developing ‘made-to-order’ materials and more energy-efficient electronics.

We are surrounded by electronic devices. Transistors are used to power telephones, computers, televisions, hi-fi systems and game consoles as well as cars, airplanes and the like. Today’s silicon-based electronics, however, consume a substantial and ever-increasing share of the world’s energy.

A number of researchers are exploring the propert...